Former NATO boss Anders Fogh Rasumussen warned Europe against merely pleading to part of the US-brokered ceasefire talks between Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi, saying that securing a seat at the negotiating table comes through strength, not “begging”.
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Published on 10 November 2026 - 11:56 GMT+1•Updated
11:57
Europe must stop begging for a seat at the table in US-brokered peace talks between Russia and Ukraine and instead prove its relevance, former NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told Euronews.
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“Europe is already in a weak position. Europe is begging for a place at the table,” he said. “You have to make yourself indispensable by bringing assets to the table, so I hope Europe will now wake up.”
Rasmussen was speaking as Russian, Ukrainian and US negotiators meet in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday and Wednesday for talks aimed at ending Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Senior European officials, including representatives from the European Union, NATO, Britain, Germany, Italy and France, will also travel to the United Arab Emirates for separate discussions but will not take part in the main trilateral meeting.
Their presence reflects Europe's determination to have a say in negotiations whose outcome could reshape the continent's security.
Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law and adviser, said last week that a “new European security architecture” would be a focus of the talks. Russian officials have used similar language in calling for a reduced NATO presence in Europe.
“We have seen US President Donald Trump chose Moscow,” Rasmussen said, “and siding with Putin.”
“This is a situation we have to take seriously. The Europeans must wake up. If we don't, we will be sleepwalking into a permanent war on the European continent.”
A 90-minute phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, initiated by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb, exposed divisions among Nordic leaders and highlighted Europe's struggle to speak with one voice.
The call prompted criticism from Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who questioned the decision to engage Moscow without consulting other European leaders.
"I am very sceptical about this independent initiative by Norway and Finland. It was not coordinated with any of us," Frederiksen said shortly after the call became public.
Rasmussen, who served as Danish prime minister from 2001 to 2009, said it was a “good thing” to talk to Russia but stressed that such initiatives should be coordinated.
“And we should understand that we in Europe cannot be neutral mediators. We will side with the Ukrainians,” he said.
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski has argued that Eastern European countries must have a voice in potential peace talks, as the region is particularly exposed to the spillover effects of Russia's invasion.
“The last thing we want is Western Europe dealing with Russia, over the heads of the east Europeans," he said last week.
Rasmussen led the NATO alliance from 2009 to 2014. Just before his tenure, in 2004, the Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania joined both NATO and the European Union.
Asked whether their security interests should be taken into account in the negotiations, Rasmussen said: “We should have listened to the Eastern Europeans.”
Beyond the peace talks, Rasmussen criticised Washington's delays in approving the delivery of US-made air-defence missiles to Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in late October that he had been waiting almost a month for US approval of Patriot and NASAMS missile deliveries.
The delays have raised concerns about Ukraine's ability to repel Russian ballistic missile attacks and other aerial threats, which continue to batter the war-weary capital, Kyiv. Rasmussen described the delay as “damning” for Ukraine's defences.
“I'm so disappointed that the Americans have not delivered what they have promised to deliver. I'm not going to guess about the reasons why, but it just underlines the need for us in Europe to be able to stand on our own feet,” he said.
Asked whether he had ever seen NATO as divided as it is today, amid US troop reductions, Trump's threats to withdraw from the alliance and tensions over Greenland, Rasmussen replied: “Not at all.”
“It was an era where we could trust the American ally,” he said.
“When push comes to shove the Americans will come to the aid of Europe, but we have to be able to stand on our own feet. It's high time that we take decisions in Europe irrespective of who is residing in the White House.”